What prompts the smooch? "It mirrors something I'm going through in my own life," says Philipps. No, the married mom of two is not involved in a same-sex relationship of her own. Rather, what resonates with Philipps is Ellie's desperate attempt to get her son, Stan, into a private kindergarten, so she enlists Laurie to be her pretend partner.

"Ellie thinks if the admissions board sees that Stan has two moms, he'll be more appealing and it'll improve his chances," says Philipps. "Since I'm now in the process of applying to kindergartens for my own child [5-year-old daughter Birdie], I can totally relate. It's very competitive in Los Angeles, but I haven't had to do anything that crazy just yet."